Students react to Martha Stewart verdict

Martha Stewart's conviction on Friday sent a message to many that white collar crime can result in prison time. For others, it was simply the next chapter in the torrent of high profile corporate scandals that have swept the nation over the past few years.

The case focused on Stewart's sale of ImClone stock in Dec. 2001. Stewart was convicted on four of five charges raised against her: one count of conspiracy, two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of agency proceedings.

The court dropped the most serious charge -- that Stewart dumped her shares with the intent to manipulate stock prices -- on Feb. 27.

For college students, often painted as the nation's most fervent idealists, the exposing of so much greed and deceit has made some more cynical, and others more watchful.

Though students joked about the way Stewart might fix up her cell, many felt her prosecution was just an example of a larger crackdown on white collar crimes.

"I think [the verdict is] fair, but I think at the same time insider trading goes on all the time and she was really pilloried for doing something a lot of people do," said first-year graduate student Caroline Sunshine.

For some students the verdict was representative of a wider trend in America today. Echoing the "two Americas" sentiment of former presidential candidate John Edwards, senior Fred Hartman said, "This entire situation brings attention to the widening gap between the rich and the poor in America; ultimately it shows how greedy we have become in America, as a society." Hartman said Stewart's conviction would motivate him to participate in the upcoming presidential election.

Senior Michelle Le said recent scandals will make her more ethically conscious when she enters the work force. "Though business is always about the money, I don't think business should be lawless," she said. "People are more on their toes nowadays with the fear of being charged with criminal activity."

At Tufts, where many followed the case of former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow, (LA '83) students fear ambitious environments can contribute to greed. "Everybody tries to be that top one percent. These people are role models, and it gives everyone a bad name," sophomore Ann Stevenson said.

"With all the corporate scandals it has just made everyone a little more reluctant to trust business leaders," senior Fred Hartman said. "Overall, that's a bad thing because business leaders are really leaders of our society."

For senior Steve Bleiberg, high profile trials help to level the playing field. "People who committed crimes are actually getting in trouble," Bleiberg said. "That's a wonderful thing. It's good for business."

Bleiberg said students should differentiate between greed and ambition, and focus more on personal responsibility. "There's not enough emphasis on the individual, in terms of rights and responsibilities," he said. "People don't think what morality needs for themselves."

Some said suggested a greater focus on ethics in college education. Students cited social justice courses and business ethics classes offered by the University as ways that students can be challenged to think of these issues while still in college.

Senior Tim Nelson said there would be less need for individual targets if there were changes in the classroom. "The more knowledge people have about what's right and what's not, there won't be as much of a reason to target one particular person," he said.

Others said while the University's strict plagiarism policy encourages them to think about ethical issues, most values are already formed by the time students reach college.

"I feel like it's common sense," junior Cecilia Dos Santos said. "If you don't have it, you don't have it and taking a class on ethics isn't going to change who you are."